A stressed junior doctor at North Devon District Hospital took her own life after telling friends she felt 'bullied' and unsupported by the NHS trust.

Dr Mariam Khan, 34, struggled to make friends at the hospital in Barnstaple and complained of 'nasty' remarks by a colleague, an inquest heard.

Within months of moving to Devon to take up a post in acute medicine she went from being happy and sociable to withdrawn and depressed and had to be signed off sick.

She was found dead by concerned friends who visited her home in Barnstaple. The coroner in Exeter recorded a verdict of suicide.

The inquest was told that Dr Khan had come to the UK from her native Pakistan in August 2013. She had worked at hospitals in Kent, Oxford, Peterborough and Yeovil before getting a job in Barnstaple in August 2016.

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Her aunt Dr Rukhsana Dost Mohammad said in a statement that her niece told her 'staff were not very friendly and supportive' and that 'whenever she asked for help she wasn't given any and was losing confidence'.

"She said one of the consultants was nasty to her and it was very stressful."

Her friend Dr Rizwana Zahid said the pair had worked together in Yeovil where she had been 'really happy' and sociable with lots of friends.

But when she saw her in October 2016 Dr Khan 'seemed very different'.

"She was quiet and withdrawn when usually she was bubbly, said Dr Zahid."

She would make excuses not to attend social events and confided 'things were difficult at the hospital'.

"I spoke with her and she said she was very stressed with work," said Dr Zahid.

North Devon District Hospital (Image: Paula Davies)

"She found colleagues very uncooperative and she was scared she'd make a mistake."

Dr Zahid told her friend to speak to the hospital's human resources department and her GP. Dr Khan was signed off sick for two months shortly before she died. But she felt her doctor and the hospital were 'teaming up on her'.

Her anxiety got so severe that she worried she would 'bring harm wherever she went' and the police would arrest her and take her UK visa away if she took a break in Pakistan.

On February 17, 2017, Dr Zahid and her husband Dr Salik Kahar travelled to Barnstaple to see their friend. They had become increasingly worried about her mental state. Even her voice had changed to the point they could barely recognise it on an answer phone message.

They found Dr Khan at her home in Westaway Heights. She had hanged herself.

Dr Zahid said she was 'shocked' by Dr Khan's suicide.

"She said she was struggling with work and complained she was being bullied. I never thought she would take her own life."

Joanne Holmes, assistant director of human resources at the hospital also provided a statement to the inquest.

She said the trust was aware in January that Dr Khan was seeing her GP, she also saw an occupational health physician. She was signed off work with stress and the hospital continued to liaise with her doctor about when she would be fit to return to work.

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Ms Holmes said that there was 'no indication' that she was struggling unduly with her mental health during further contact the trust had with Dr Khan to discuss sick pay and support her to go home to visit her family.

Dr Khan told her GP she had suffered with depression before but was not thinking about taking her own life. She was prescribed anti-depressants and had talked about returning to Pakistan to recuperate while she was off sick.

Police investigated the death but found nothing suspicious.

Philip Spinney, HM senior coroner for Exeter and Greater Devon, said he was satisfied from the evidence that 'things were very difficult' for Dr Khan at the hospital.

"She was stressed at work and scared of making a mistake," he added.

"It is clear from the evidence that Dr Khan was very unhappy. She felt she was not getting the guidance and support, felt under pressure because of the stress.

"We've seen evidence she was provided with support and discussions around her returning to work."

He said Dr Khan felt lonely but worried about the effect of her going back to Pakistan would have on her work in the UK.

"I'm satisfied Dr Khan took her own life and intended to do so," said the coroner.

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Following the inquest, Darryn Allcorn, director of nursing, quality and workforce at Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "Mariam was a dedicated doctor who always put her patients first. She was highly respected and valued by her friends and colleagues, and was an asset to the ward she worked on.

“Mariam's close colleagues held a memorial to give them the opportunity to share memories and support one another. She is sadly missed by everybody who worked with her, and our thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues.

“Mental health affects us all, and we have taken opportunities to highlight the importance of talking about our mental health openly with our colleagues, as well as the confidential support available. We also provide training for staff to better support each other with their mental health and we strongly encourage staff to take part.”

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In response to the allegation of ‘bullying’ during the inquest,Darryn said: “We were really saddened that we didn’t know how Mariam was feeling at work.

“Nobody should have to experience bullying and we do not tolerate it within our organisation. Staff regularly report the trust to be a welcoming organisation, with our most recent staff survey results demonstrating that the trust is better than the NHS average for staff reporting they do not feel bullied or discriminated against, and that we provide equal opportunities.

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“We encourage staff to report any concerns they have about bullying so we can guide them to access the help available and appropriate action can be taken.

“We have a formal bullying and harassment policy, which is reviewed regularly and updated in partnership with trade union representatives. Staff can raise concerns with their manager or with the HR team, and we have Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, a peer-based system through which staff can receive confidential advice and support. All reports of bullying are treated seriously and fully investigated.”